Scandal in NCAAF

The Big Ten can put on quite a perp walk, as can the Atlantic Coast Conference. Out in the Pac-12, Oregon may replace USC in the NCAA pokey. Before Syracuse exits the Big East for the ACC, it likely will have to face NCAA justice for failures of its drug-testing policy in regard to men's basketball

According to the NCAA legislative services database of major infractions, one-third of the Big Ten currently is on probation: Michigan for football abuses under Rich Rodriguez; Ohio State for Jim Tressel's cover-up of TattooGate; Nebraska for a multi-sport textbook snafu; and now Penn State for the sins of Jerry Sandusky and its subsequent breakdown in ethics and leadership

According to the NCAA legislative services database of major infractions, one-third of the Big Ten currently is on probation: Michigan for football abuses under Rich Rodriguez; Ohio State for Jim Tressel's cover-up of TattooGate; Nebraska for a multi-sport textbook snafu; and now Penn State for the sins of Jerry Sandusky and its subsequent breakdown in ethics and leadership.

Total years probation for those four schools: 13. Both the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions face a postseason football ban for 2012, which basically turns the Big Ten Leaders Division into Wisconsin and the three dwarves (Illinois, Purdue and Indiana). And as we know, Penn State is bowl-banned and scholarship-stripped from now until sometime into the 22nd century.

Those four also happen to be the flagship football programs in the league in terms of all-time accomplishments.

Now compare that rap sheet to the SEC, where the stereotype of lawlessness has been popular for a long time. There are two schools currently on probation: Tennessee for the Bruce Pearl barbecue fiasco and South Carolina for its cushy hotel housing arrangement for football players, plus some booster shenanigans involving football and basketball. (LSU came off a one-year football probation last week.)

Total years probation: five. Postseason bans: zero. Scholarship reductions: zero. The SEC dodged a mighty big bullet when Cam Newton scrambled through a loophole in 2010 to remain eligible, but right now there is no question which is the cleaner league in the eyes of the NCAA.

There was a time when Big Ten fans chafed by the SEC's relentless winning in football at least had image to fall back on when comparing the two conferences. Not anymore. Now the last recourse is complaining about SEC schools overbooking scholarships.

Over the past decade the SEC has gotten in more trouble than the Big Ten, but not by a wide margin. There have been 12 major infractions cases involving 10 SEC schools since 2002, resulting in a total of 36 years' probation and four years of postseason bans (two years for Alabama football and one each for Mississippi State and Kentucky, which didn't get much bang for their infractions buck). In the same span the Big Ten has had 10 major infractions cases involving nine schools, resulting in 30 years' probation and five years of postseason bans (four for Penn State and one for Ohio State).

And even with the SEC engaging in an orgy of impermissible activity from 1989-2004 (20 major infractions cases in those 15 years), Jim Delany's Big Ten hasn't lagged too far behind. Since he became commissioner in '89, the Big Ten has had 21 major NCAA cases. The SEC has had 26.

In today's terms, the conference pushing the Big Ten for bad boy honors is the ACC. Three schools are on probation – Florida State, Georgia Tech and North Carolina, for a combined total of 11 years and a one-year postseason ban for the Tar Heels. But that doesn't include what's currently swirling at two schools.

The Pac-12 has four schools on probation (California for men's basketball, Arizona State for baseball, USC for the Reggie Bush-O.J. Mayo exacta and Arizona until July 29 for men's basketball), with Oregon football potentially on deck. Three Big 12 schools are on probation (Baylor for men's and women's basketball, Texas Tech for text-messaging issues in multiple sports, and Oklahoma for men's basketball – the Sooners' third probation since 2006). And just because you don't still consider the Big East a power league doesn't mean they're not skirting rules like one, with three on probation (Connecticut basketball, West Virginia football dating to the RichRod days and Cincinnati football and women's basketball for too many phone calls), and Syracuse still in play.

Bottom line: If previously pristine Penn State can get busted, so can your school. And your league. The old scandal geography no longer applies in college athletics.

1. Southern Methodist (9, tied for most): The Mustangs plunged from the glory days of the Eric Dickerson-Craig James "Pony Express" era to being the only major college football "Death Penalty" victim in NCAA history. The football team didn't saddle up for either the 1987 or 1988 seasons after it was discovered tens of thousands of dollars had been paid out to players.

2. Southern Cal and Reggie Bush (6): The Trojan RB is the only player to give back a Heisman Trophy. USC's transgressions in 2005 weren't far removed from another major in-fraction in 2001, when tutors were caught writing papers for football players.

5. Eric Ramsey's tapes take down Pat Dye at Auburn (7): The defensive back, motivated in part by what he considered racist restrictions for African-American players, recorded telephone calls between his coaches and a too-generous booster. Then Ramsey shared the chit-chat with 60 Minutes and others, and Dye was out as coach and athletic director in 1992. Fashion note: Ramsey and wife Twilitta wore bulletproof vests at the commencement ceremony.

6. Tattoo blues at Ohio State (4): Jim Tressel wrecked his career when he failed to disclose information about players trading memorabilia for tattoos last season. All that body ink meant it was time to pen a resignation letter.

7. Miami's (Fla.) 1995 Pell Grant scandal (5): Why settle for hundred-dollar handshakes when you can get government money for hundreds of thousands of dollars with bogus grant applications?

11. South Carolina coaches provided steroids (4) : Defensive lineman Tommy Chaikin co-wrote a Sports Illustrated article that detailed his use of steroids while playing for the Gamecocks in the '80s. That led to three coaches pleading guilty to charges of providing the PEDs. Yet none of this was an NCAA violation.

12. Gary Barnett's X-rated recruiting at Colorado (5): Barnett was forced to resign in 2005 after it was learned his recruiting tactics included providing sex, drugs and alcohol to recruits. His bitter end was foreshadowed by a suspension in 2004, for making derogatory comments after kicker Katie Hnida had alleged she had been raped by a Buffalo player.

14. Butch Davis fired at North Carolina (1): An NCAA notice of allegations involving alleged academic misconduct and players receiving improper benefits led to Davis' dismissal. Fourteen players missed at least one game after the probe began in 2010. The investigation is still pending.

15. Billy Joe Hobert's loan begins Don James' demise at Washington (5): Hobert quarterbacked the 12-0 Huskies to a share of the 1991 national championship but was ruled ineligible during the 1992 season because of a $50,000 loan. The only collateral was his future earning ability in the NFL, an NCAA no-no. The school wasn't penalized, but then more serious violations surfaced regarding giving athletes and recruits excessive meal and entertainment money, and alleged overpaying of players by boosters. When Washington was hit with two years of probation longtime coach James resigned.

16. Wisconsin loses 26 players (7): When a shoe-giveaway scandal hit in 2000, hardest thing for the Badgers was to figure out how to space out all the suspensions so they'd still have enough bodies.

17. Bidding war f17. Bidding war for Albert Means takes down Alabama(5): Means was shopped around by his high school coach and Alabama booster Logan Young was convicted in 2005 of paying $150,000 to bring him to the Crimson Tide. That put Alabama on probation for five years, in a case that some thought might draw the death penalty.or Albert Means takes down Alabama(5): Means was shopped around by his high school coach and Alabama booster Logan Young was convicted in 2005 of paying $150,000 to bring him to the Crimson Tide. That put Alabama on probation for five years, in a case that some thought might draw the death penalty.

The Hurricanes reportedly had dozens of past and former players spend a stretch from 2002 to 2010 receiving illegal gifts and other things from Nevin Shapiro, a convicted Ponzi schemer and Miami booster. Yahoo Sports broke the story after 100 hours of jailhouse interviews with Shapiro, who pleaded guilty to robbing investors of around $83 million in his Ponzi scheme of $930 million.

Yahoo Sports also reported that several Miami coaches and administrators tried to cover up the matter. Among other revelations, Shapiro told the website that he spent "millions" on Miami players, ranging from sex parties on his yacht to expensive jewelry to an abortion for a woman impregnated by a Hurricane player.

The Miami situation is so egregious that NCAA president Mark Emmert issued the following statement: "If the assertions are true, the conduct at the University of Miami is an illustration of the need for serious and fundamental change in many critical aspects of college sports."

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